Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
by Darth Mer-Mer
Summary: After Kagome nearly perishes at the hands of the Shichinentai, Inuyasha comes to grips with almost losing her in, heh, an unusual way...
1. Default Chapter

Hello…sorry for the wait. You people rock…102 of you all love me. I love you all back. As promised here is the beginning of a two part sorta kinda R-ish story with a bit of lemon aftertaste. I hope you all like it, the outcome depends on feedback on how lemony to go. Love you all, I own no one, they only live under my bed stealing the last piece of the jig saw puzzles.

  
DarthMerMer

When the Smoke Gets in Your Eyes…

He hadn't been crying. That was the honest truth. He had not been crying. Sure, his throat had closed up and it had been hard to breath, but it wasn't like he was that emotional or anything…Kagome and the others weren't dead. The flames hadn't swallowed them up, as they lay helpless at the temple. Shippou had seen to it that they were safe with the aid of Kirara. That was all that mattered, that they weren't dead. Maybe it had all been a sick dream. Maybe none of it had actually happened…it couldn't have happened to them. They had been through too much together for a little fire to put an end to it all. 

But they had stopped breathing…damn; there went his throat again. Shaking his head, he gulped down the lump that had appeared without his consent. It wasn't fair, he had been holding up his end of the bargain! He had held off the other assassins while he sent Shippou off the find a safe spot. Maybe if he didn't let any of them out of his sight… but that was impossible. Of all the stupid things to have to deal with…he had thought that he could have depended on at least Miroku to keep them safe. But even the monk had been powerless after the Shichinentai became involved. It was idiotic that they had been in the situation in the first place! Again, he shook his head and sent his fluffy hair scattering into knots and snarls. But they weren't dead, that was the important thing. 

He watched as Kagome struggled valiantly with a piece of firewood. It kept slipping from her hands as she took shaky steps towards the fire. His chest started to hurt. She still smelled like smoke. Wafting to his sensitive nose, the smell of charred wood and burnt hair radiated off the girl. It was the undeniable fact that proved no matter how much he regretted or thought about it, it had happened. He had almost lost her. As if hearing his thoughts, Kagome took a delicate sniff at her sleeve. Turning her head, nose wrinkled as she caught the acrid scent, she shook her body as if to rid herself of the foul odor. As she threw the sticks into the flames, for the briefest of moments, he thought he saw tears reflect in the warm light. She retreated to her sleeping bag, only to find that any way she turned, she couldn't escape the smell. Finally she gave up and with her eyes full of frustration, she sat up and stared forlornly at the flickering flames of the fire. "Dammit, dammit…dammit."

"Oi, you okay, Kagome?" He called quietly from his side of the fire, all but invisible save for his golden eyes. She looked so small as she curled her arms over her knees. His throat constricted again…she was alive, but he had failed to protect her. 

Her dark hair fell over her shoulders as she tilted her head up. The sound of his voice was comforting. But it did nothing to help her with the damned smoky smell that had permeated her clothes, her hair, down to her very skin that was still slightly dirty from the ash that had come close to consuming her. Her back itched fiercely from the spots she hadn't been able to reach to clean herself off. "Yeah, I'm just all smelly and itchy and dirty. But I'm still alive, so I'll deal with it." Maybe it had come across harsher than it had sounded, but Inuyasha's silence met her with all the power of a brick wall reinforced with steel. 

She was happy she hadn't died right? She wasn't mad at him was she? Granted, he wouldn't blame her if she was, he had failed to protect her. He lowered his eyes. "Gomen…I didn't know that…that…" Inuyasha bit his lip as his words failed him, his silver hair hiding his eyes from sight.

The girl started. "Oh, no, I didn't mean it like that!" She stood shakily. "I'm just so tired. I guess that Myouga-jichan took a lot more blood than I thought he did." Stumbling slowly towards the hanyou, Kagome sighed. "I just…I was just really scared for a little bit." 

"Cause I didn't save you in time…" He mumbled under his breath, eyes still hidden. But he did sneak a peek at the girl as she practically fell down beside him. Steadying Kagome with his arm, he maneuvered her closer to him so she could lean her tired body against his. 

Raising a shaking fist, she playfully batted at the half-demon. "No, silly. I was scared for you! The way you looked when I woke up…it was so, so, well it scared me." Her shoulder brushed his arm as she steadied herself. Fingers clutched at soft red cloth as Kagome's tresses blended into Inuyasha's white hair. Sighing tiredly, her head throbbing with exertion, the young girl carefully kissed Inuyasha on the cheek. "You have never let me down, Inuyasha, I trust you." Her eyes fluttered shut. "I just wish I didn't smell so bad or itch like this." She mumbled into his body as she lean closer to him. 

"You're supposed to use salt water to get out smells…" He mumbled.

She smiled tiredly, "Really? Too bad we are no where near any. At this point I'd be happy with just a little normal water."

"Ok." 

Before she knew what had happened, the ground disappeared and the weightless feeling of flying was overwhelming her senses. Smiling as the half demon settled her safely in his arms instead of his back, she thanked the gods that he hadn't made her hang on to his back. Kagome was simply too tired to even cuddle the hanyou's back.

Still here, she was still here with him. Small, fragile and stinky, but here and that was what mattered. The smoke smell was making his eyes water or maybe it was just the chilly wind blowing a certain way into his eyes. The trees below them swayed gently in a mass of black cotton and flashes of green in the moonlight. How dare the night be so peaceful when such an awful thing had happened only a handful of hours before? Gritting his sharp teeth hard enough to nip his tongue, Inuyasha pulled the shivering girl closer to him. Keen eyes sought out what was needed and they landed near a puny stream nearly clogged with autumn leaves. It would have to do, the nearest large body of water was almost half a days trek and he was not willing to get that far out of ear-shot of the others. 

"Uh, Inuyasha…?" Kagome mumbled quietly from her nest of his chest and arms. "What's going on?" Her voice warbled from weakness and weariness. 

He grunted his reply because if he had talked normally, his voice would have cracked from emotion. "Get you clean." His hands reached for her uniform as he sat her delicately on the soft grass and leaves. Careful to be sure he was behind her, he carefully found the zipper on the side of her shirt and pulled it up.

"Inuyasha…what are you-" 

He only made a sound that begged her to be quiet. "Clean…" Gulping down the rest of his words he looked at the grass and its small drops of half formed dew. Nimble fingers slid the red sash out from the sailor collar and the shirt soon followed. Both went into the stream and as the clean water did it's duty of sifting out the smoke scent, Inuyasha continued his work on her pleated skirt…this was a trifle more difficult considering she was sitting and he was desperately trying not to look. 

Kagome shuddered as sharp claws searched for the easiest way to rid her thighs of her skirt. Too tired to protest, she lifted limp arms as Inuyasha got fed up and slid it, pleats, zipper and all over her head in the same manner as the rest. There was a muffled sploosh as the water received its next charge. Barely a foot wide the puddle of clear water was already getting rather crowded. Momentarily baffled by the night air, she hardly noticed anything but the hanyou's warm breath on the center of her back as Inuyasha bit at the strip of cloth that was her bra. It didn't occur to her exactly what the boy was doing until the straps slid down her slim arms and into her lap fell the modest piece of lingerie. Before her eyes grew too large for her head, and before she could scramble for it, the bra joined the other clothes in the water, useless and ruined since he had gnawed it off of her bare back.

He had hoped that the smell was only on the clothes…he had been sadly mistaken. The entirety of her skin had absorbed the acrid scent. Grabbing for the red kerchief now thoroughly soaked with clean water, Inuyasha began the slow process of rinsing the smell away. Normally rough hands fell into a gentle rhythm of circling and then rubbing. Small dark blotches of ash still remained stuck to the pale flesh of Kagome's skin. It was no wonder the wench smelled so bad or itched hard enough to welt her beautiful hide. Allowing himself a guilty pleasure, Inuyasha let his thumb trace the outline of the girl's shoulder blade as he washed the smells away. And in the warmth there he felt her heart beating again.

Kagome had tried to protest…she had gotten as far as folding her arms over her chest and considering the day she had had Kagome felt that was fairly exceptional. All she really cared about now was the cold warmth of his hands and the itchy scratchy feeling was receding with each pass of the cloth. Still shivering with exhaustion, she leaned back to rest her head on his shoulder. To her mild displeasure, Inuyasha only placed a hand on her shoulder and pushed her back into a sitting position in front of him. Ok, fine, she thought, be an angry puppy…her eyes drifted shut as the puppy scrubbed the small of her back. 

He had expected her to at least 'sit' him. To amazed golden eyes, the girl still trusted him enough to bathe her half naked. Still, there was too much human in him not to notice the graceful curves of her shoulders and the slender line of her back. Heart thudding in his chest he carefully coaxed Kagome into lifting her arms so they too could be submitted to the gentle rubbing. Staring at the grass became priority number one for the moment. 

Kagome swallowed her protests and shivered as the hanyou's skilled hands found all the most sensitive parts of her sides. Sucking in a wavering breath, her chest shuddered as the effects of the cool night air and Inuyasha's warm fingers took their toll on her body. Warmth in her belly spread lower and her breasts fought their own battle with the crisp autumn night, helplessly ignored by the warmth at her waist. Again, she tried to lean back into him. Only this time his forehead and soft bangs were a constant barrier to her recline. 

The moon rose slowly, casting silver shadows up and down the small vale. It puddled light and shadow in the hollow of the girl's throat and juncture of her neck and shoulder. Her dark eyes followed the path as the crescent passed overhead as Inuyasha choked back his tears and sobs behind her. His soft hair playing against her damp skin as his hands clutched at her middle pulling her to him as his tears washed away the most stubborn ash.

She reached for his hand and rubbed her cheek over the strong tendons and calluses. "I'm still here…" She whispered, her breath pooling into his hands. And she slowly turned to him to prove it. 

To be continued….

So, people…how lemony do ya want it? 


	2. Part 2

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, Part 2.

Because of constant "suggestions" by the FFNet personnel, I cannot make this story a real lemon. I will have my entire account erased if I even attempt it. Someone reported to them that the story was going to be very NC-17ish and they are now very concerned about it…that is why it took me so long to update. Although, I must admit they were most cordial about the proceedings. So, even though many of you wanted me to write a lemony lemon…we're only gonna get a taste. Gomen, gomen…so, on with the story.

Kagome was tired, but at least now she was clean. With the more base of feminine needs taken care of her young body began to remind her that, yes, indeed Kagome, it was damn cold out at night in the Sengoku Jidai. Her lithe limbs shivering as the crisp autumn leaves fell around them, floating down like lost thoughts on the cold bitter winds, the girl shuddered. It didn't help that only moments ago the Hanyou had gnawed the very clothing from her wet skin. But as she turned to him, bare-chested, clothed only in a modest pair of cotton panties, that really didn't matter.

What mattered was that she knew he was crying. Even though he was silent in his tears, his body only shaking slightly with sobs, she had known when the very first tear had fallen. Even though she had been the one to almost perish in the flames, the brunt of the fear, the magnitude of apparent loss had been placed on Inuyasha's shoulders along with all the other matters already making a large pile on his conscience. She had at least already been unconscious. Her suffering was like the smoke, hazy, dark and warm. While the hanyou's horror had been the flames that licked and seared thoughts and hopes, devouring dreams painfully and completely. 

She turned, her body clambering on its own closer to him. Sliding her bare arms up around his neck, she coaxed the tow headed boy's forehead away from her chest and up onto her shoulder. Her now clean fingers, chilled by the night air, set to the work or soothing him by working the snarls out of his long unkempt hair. She smiled sadly as his arms circled around her. "Poor thing…" She whispered, her voice still strained from breathing the smoke.

"Shut up." He sniffled. "There's smoke in my eyes, that's all." Barely managing to say that much before his voice cracked, the hanyou pulled her closer. It wasn't fair that the damnable tears wouldn't stop flowing. How could the wench be so calm? Didn't she know that she had almost died before he could get to her? It wasn't fair that she was being the one to give comfort when it was she who deserved it now more than ever. Yet, here she was, the same Kagome, whom he had feared he'd lost forever, holding him, telling him it was okay and running her cold fingers through his hair. He felt her smile.

It was too much. The sobs finally broke through all of his careful defenses. He buried his head in the soft angle of Kagome's throat, his whole body shivering with relief and sadness each too mixed up in the other to separate the two. To the girl's dismay, even the tips of his ears were shaking. His shoulders hunched in and he pulled her even closer to him as he realized even through his misery that she was freezing to the touch. 

"Inuyasha, it's okay now." She continued to stroke his hair even though he was now at an odd angle. Somewhat puzzled, yet secretly pleased that he was finally showing her that he wasn't strong all the time, Kagome was still amazed to see her guardian in such a state. Warmer and a little more bold, she reached up. "See, look!" Her smart fingers found their way to his soft, velvety ears and tweaked them in a mimicry of when she first saw him all those years ago. Back forth, back forth. This elicited a sound somewhere between a laugh, a moan and a sob. Kagome sighed at the mixed response and pulled him closer. A blush flushed over her cheeks as she realized again, that yes, she was still quite unclothed, but caring overstepped the boundaries of decorum in this instance. Smiling softly into his hair, she whispered, "I'm still here." 

Of all the things she could have possibly said, this had the worse possible effect. Crashing into his mind were all the thoughts and terror filled imaginings of what it would be like if she wasn't here. Guilt colored all of his thoughts black as pitch. His arms folded around her, pulling her fully into his lap, his hands doubling back around her chilled, bare frame. Her arms hung useless behind his head now, her full weight being supported by the hanyou. The warm lengths of fabric that made up his sleeves fell around her, warming her back and ruffling her hair. The sobs came stronger now, his whole body rocking and shaking with the magnitude of them. The only thing Kagome had to compare this kind of crying to was with her little brother, Souta…Her mind drifted back to the night her father had died. Without a word, Souta had clambered into her bed, curled up in her lap and sobbed until he fell asleep. Kagome didn't move that entire night for fear of waking her exhausted brother…her legs tingled with sleep pains and her back had ached from sitting for so long, but she kept still and only stroked the child's hair back from his sweaty forehead the other hand rubbing gentle circles on his back. Now, reality hit her. Inuyasha had come closer than she had ever realized to losing something he cared about.

It hadn't hit her until that moment just how close she had come to dying. Her own throat began to constrict and thankfully cut off the small whimper that had suddenly grown there. Her own arms wrapped more tightly around the boy's back. For a moment she allowed the luxury to being rocked as Inuyasha continued his sobbing only now with silent gulps of air, his tears slowly drying. Taking a deep breath, she looked back down at his face. Almost as red as his hakata, his face was streaked with tears, eyes screwed shut. And as a cruel twist of karma, this was the worst thing she could have done. Seeing the amount of distress she had caused the boy only pushed her over the edge and to lose control of her own emotions. Tired, stressed and aching, the girl felt the thin cold lines of tears begin racing down her cheeks. Somehow this was her fault, she hadn't been strong enough to keep herself out of trouble. And now Inuyasha wasn't acting like Inuyasha! 

Dammit, he thought. Now she's crying too. All this did was only make him feel more miserable but less lost. At least she was here, crying or not. He pulled her closer, his tears momentarily dried at the though of distressing the girl more. The primitive mind of protector finally kicked into gear as Kagome fought valiantly against the sobs. His sleeves, wrapped tightly against his arms, forced his hands up as he circled them around the girl. And cold or not, distraught or not, sick at the though of losing her or not, he did something accidentally he should have never done.

His hands came to rest on her unbound and softly, shaking breasts.

They froze. Silence fell like a veil around the pair.

For a fleeting moment, Inuyasha wondered if perhaps if he kept sobbing she would forget about it and give him time to move his traitor's hands…but alas, there was no time. He tensed…

She tensed, her sobs and cries falling silent except for the occasional sniffle.

As she tensed, her chest expanded as she sucked in cold autumn air through her teeth. This caused the tips of her nipples, already hard from the cold, to press firmly against the rough calluses of his palms. His hands were so warm…

Stifling a little yelp as he readied himself for Kagome's breath to escape in one gloriously magnificently loud rendition of "SIT!" another part of Inuyasha stiffened quick enough to cause a moan to leak out of his throat and tickle down the side of her throat. It wasn't fair that a girl could have such soft skin. Baring his teeth he tried to fight the urge.

Kagome found that for an instant she didn't mind where his hands were. His breath on her throat made one entire side of her body flush with warmth. Her arms still buried in his hair, Kagome trembled. It wasn't that she wasn't enjoying this. Being able to get warm felt wonderful in itself, and she realized, she needed to be held like this. It was imperative that the one doing the holding was none other than the person she was with. But the embrace had become a little uncomfortable now that his lap was a quite a bit more lumpy. 

__

(Authors note…I'm cringing at this point…Honestly, I don't really know what constitutes as NC-17 versus an R…they say it is the same as movie ratings, but it's a bit more tricky than that isn't it? Eh-heh…onward dear friends, ever onward. God, I hope I don't get banned…and for goodness sake, if you are too young to be reading about the more carnal pleasures of adulthood, DO NOT read R rated stories!!!)

Ears twitching nervously, Inuyasha slowly relaxed as the command remained silent on Kagome's chapped lips. She must have been sicker than he though. For her to tolerate something like this…

She chose that moment to start to pull away. 

And Inuyasha panicked. 

She had come so close to disappearing from him forever, even in the abstract of moving her body away from his was enough to set him tumbling back into unrealized fears. She hadn't perished today, but what about tomorrow or the next day or the day after that? In his mind, he would always know he had failed her and with that possibility now out in the open, how could he cope with his fears.

His arms tightened as Kagome leaned back, pulling her roughly to his chest, his fingers sliding along the crest of her breasts, nails scratching gently at the sensitive flesh there. To keep her close enough for his liking, he instinctively placed his mouth around the warm pulse in her neck, his tongue gently pressing against her skin. His stomach tightened and lower regions ached in the night. 

An army of goose bumps marched down her entire body in a flood of sparks and heat. "I-Inuyasha?" Her throat squeaked and worked as his gold eyes rolled up to look at her. The intensity of his gaze caused her to fidget and elicited another deep moan that sounded more like a growl from the boy. Below her, something poked at her thigh. Her eyes grew impossibly wide. He wouldn't dare! This was something straight out of the "Miroku's Guide to Catching Women Off Guard." 

His mouth slowly worked its way up her throat and nuzzled the juncture of her jaw and her ear. He couldn't let her go just yet…now that the acrid scent of burning things was cleared from her skin, there was nothing left but the clean smell of cool water and the warmth of her bare skin. The smoothness of her neck and the softness of her thick hair as she tilted her head back helped to remind him that she was indeed still there. Hands tracing her cheek, he closed his gold eyes as his mouth found hers in the dark fall night. 

Kagome hesitated for a breath and then relaxed against him. This was something they both needed desperately. He was here. She was still here too. And his sharp teeth were gently tugged and nipping at her lips, urging her on, daring her. Even though he was stronger physically, he knew as well as she that they were evenly matched when it came to their wills. And this night their wills were calling to them to confirm each others existence. Her mind heavy with sensation, she parted her lips and allowed Inuyasha to, in his own uniquely rough and tender way, pillage her mouth with his own. His hands roved over the hills and plains of her bare flesh, coaxing forth moans and small cries from the cave of her soft, pink lips. 

Not to be outdone by him, Kagome shifted her legs, gently placing her bare feet behind the small of the hanyou's back. Her calves, sculpted into graceful muscles from their long treks, molded into his sides, her hips rocking slowly against his stomach. She had a moment to laugh inwardly as Inuyasha's eyes literally crossed comically at the sensation. The strange stiffness that met her thrusts, became even harder beneath the rough cloth of his pants. Kagome's own cotton panties were slowly getting warmer with each gyration. 

Well, she didn't seem to mind what they were doing at least. Some part of his sane mind commented from the sidelines. His hands slowly dropped from her back to reach between them and one cupped the back of her dark head, the other finding its way to the long neglected mounds of her chest. And as Kagome continued her silent rocking assault against him, he fought back by lowering his mouth to her breast. Bending her backwards, her back arching like the bow she carried, he had his way with the mysteriously soft, wonderfully pragmatic mounds of the female form. 

It was Kagome's turn to cross her eyes. In this position, she was rendered helpless against the actions of the hanyou above her. There was no way to resist the flowing tide of liquid tongue, shining, nipping canines, or the warmth of wet lips that stormed across her with all the slowness of molasses. Her legs turned to jelly as she fought to stay alert as the lazy sensation of pleasure oozed over her body. Her mind found footing as the hanyou left her breasts and started to travel lower. Finally remembering she had hands and arms, Kagome caught hold of his hair and tugged, shaking her head. They had already been though so much in one day. There was no need to rush things. Looking sullen and almost pouty, Inuyasha pulled away with much hesitation and lifted the girl up again. Kagome met him halfway and gently kissed his eyes. They still had the lingering taste of salt on the lashes. "There, smoke gone yet?" 

With an undignified sniff, the hanyou tossed back his mane of silvery hair. A slightly cocky grin, tinged with a bit of gentleness crossed his lips. "Feh, wouldn't you like to know." His arms smoothly circled her again, "We have until at least morning…you're clothes are sopping wet." He lifted an eyebrow. "Along with other things…" 

Kagome flushed deep red. 

"I'm sure we can get rid of the rest of the smoke before the others are up." With that he playfully rolled the girl under him as she laughed and stroked his soft ears. 

"Yep, I'm still here after all." She whispered as he leaned down to kiss her. 

The End.

Well…there you go. I know it's tame…and probably shorter than you want it but hey, it's done finally! Let me know what you think. And to the person who tattled…just remember karma's kinda harsh. Love you all. DarthMerMer 


End file.
